FourRunner Hound box

[Idaho Bison]

Have any you guys built any boxes for inside a fourrunner or explorer. What did you do to ensure proper ventilation and/or keep the dogs cool? Family is getting bigger and I might get rid of the little truck.

[LarryBeggs]

I built one for an Isuzu trooper once.I fiberglass lined the bottom half of the box so if they peed it couldnt leak out.For ventalation i left half the top open and put wire over it.The other half had a plywood top with a divider beetween it and the wire so I could store stuff on top and not block off the ventalation.I only used this in the winter time.I think it would have been to hot in the summer unless you had a/c.If I ever did it again I think I would Just plexiglass off the hole back end and take out the carpet.This would help with the smell.

[radar]

If its the four door model then plumb off the ac/heater vent that would be sweet!

[Idaho Bison]

Thanks for the ideas! Keep them coming.

[cjohnson1178]

Hey Ken, I got a box in the back of a Bronco. O.J. Simpson style. It works good. But the gas is killing me. During the summer I pull the top off and put on a strike rack on. Its a great set up works good winter and summer but I need a little truck. What kind of little truck do you got and are you gonna sell it.

[Idaho Bison]

I have a Ford Ranger with the 5 speed. It does pretty well on gas but is a standard cab. I have three boys and I can't bring them in the little pickup so end up taking my Ford F350 crew cab when they go with me and at that point I'm in the same situation as you with gas.

[Patrick]

In about 95 a woman driver rearended my toyota and bent the frame, etc. Her insurance paid for me to have a brand new (no plates) rental 4wd izuzu trooper (very similar to a four runner in shape if not in quality). I had it for about a month while we went back and forth on getting her insurance and the shop(s) to get the toyota straightened out.
I had a slide in wooden dog box that fit between the wheel wells of that toyota and it sure enough slid right into the back of that izuzu with the back seats down. It was the middle of the winter and we were hunting hard and those power windows were nice. That izuzu kindof impressed me as it went almost everywhere my Toyota would, some places just took a little more momentum. To and from the woods I just left the back windows down and the heater in the front running full.
Only time I drew the line was when we killed a rather large bear, I ended up driving my brother to borrow a truck with which he retrieved the bear while I was rounding up the rest of the dogs (which I found with a cub treed and a pissed off sow working the brush)
So here is what I learned from that experience, with any kind of dog box you will have to put the seats down, the dogbox and dogs stink even in the winter, you can't easily take the hose to the hauling compartment of the vehicle if you could squeeze something dead in there. I think the such a vehicle is probably best for a guy with a couple of cute birddogs and some plastic crates.
I dropped off that izuzu at the rental with a lot of dirt on it to hide the scratches and split fast.

[Orion Guide]

I built this one and I use it in my truck and suburban. i have 2 that fit side x side on my truck bed or I can put them both in my suburban....

[radar]

Used to hunt out of this but now its just a toy, I still have the slide'in. Its got a top storage and no rig rail.

Man I'll never forget the cold I felt in this truck :lol:I could pull up and hear the dogs good though!

[tiz]

we put a dog box on a cargo rack that fits the reciver hitch when i take my wifes S-10 blazer mounted lights on it and plug into trailer hitch... also works in 3/4 ton PU if we want extra dogs along